Ino's Secret
by cookiesandcream91
Summary: Summary: We all know that Naruto is terrible at keeping secrets. That being said, Ino should've figured that trusting Hinata was a bad idea too, as she always told Naruto everything... And so here she was, lips pressed shut as they all swarmed around her, asking questions about her pregnancy. And of course, that is no way of Gaara finding out that he was going to become a father.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: We all know that Naruto is terrible at keeping secrets. That being said, Ino should've figured that trusting Hinata was a bad idea too, as she always told Naruto _everything_... And so here she was, lips pressed shut as they all swarmed around her, asking questions about her pregnancy. And of course, that is no way of Gaara finding out that he was about to become a father. [GaaIno].

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Sitting on the floor bathroom, Ino stared at the two pink parallel lines staring back at her. She had already pinched herself and no, she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't dreaming at all. Nope. This was reality, and right now, Ino was about to hate reality. She shook the stick hard, hoping that maybe it was faulty…. Shaking it several times, she stared at the lines, hoping it would change to one line.

But nope. The two lines stayed there and she sighed, feeling her chest contrast.

"Ino! You OK in there?"

Ino looked up quickly, reassuring herself that she had locked the door. Last thing she wanted was Temari seeing what she was up to.

"Yes, I'm fine! I'll be out in a minute." Ino replied, looking at the bottom of the door as she saw Temari's shadow disappear.

Ino threw away the pregnancy test into the waste bin and got up, telling herself that the test wasn't right. She hadn't had sex in over a month due to the complication of them living in separate villages, and he being the Kazekage of one of those villages of course. It's not like they could see each other whenever they wanted.

The thought of Gaara being a father seemed strange to her, but the thought of her being a mother was even stranger. Point blank, Ino wasn't ready.

_The test is wrong._

She knew that she would have to run a more thorough test to make sure the results she just got today were wrong.

Ino opened the door and watched as Temari and Shikamaru broke their kiss. She rolled her eyes and gave them a smirk. She wasn't sure why they were acting embarrassed in front of her. The two have been married for a little over a year now and it wasn't the first time Ino had caught them making out.

"Are you ready?" Shikamaru asked and Ino nodded.

The trio walked out of the house Shikamaru and Temari owned in Suna and walked towards the hospital.

Ino had arrived in Suna just a couple of hours ago on a mission to help treat many wounded Shinobis. A battle had taken place a few days ago between Suna and a group of rogue ninjas; and while Suna came out victorious due to their Kazekage showing up, many of its shinobis got injured.

As soon as they entered the hospital, Ino began to work. There were many men and women on the floor in pain, and the hospital was severely understaffed. She pushed her thoughts on the pregnancy test results to the side as she started healing her first patient.

* * *

Gaara looked around the battlefield, watching as dead Shinobis from his village were taken back to Suna by medic ninjas.

"Gaara,"

He turned around and saw Kankuro run up to him. His brother had a long cut on his face, and blood was dripping, but the puppet master paid no heed to his injury.

"Do you know why our men were attacked again?" Kankuro asked, finally wiping the blood from his face.

"No," Gaara said, looking down at one of the enemies he had just killed.

* * *

"There you go," Ino told the Shinobi as he got off the hospital bed, stretching his once injured arm.

He turned around and thanked her before walking out of the room.

Ino sighed, taking a rest on a chair. She lost count of how many ninjas she helped. One of them had a nasty injury and took most of her effort. Fatigue had hit her hard after she was finished with him, but she had pushed it aside and continued working.

"We have one more, Ino. She really wanted to see you." One of the medical-nins said.

"Bring her in." Ino said, getting up from the comfortable chair.

A woman with brown hair and blue eyes walked in, a nervous look on her face. Ino motioned her to sit on the bed.

"You don't seem injured." Ino said, inspecting the shinobi.

"I'm nn-not...not physically at least. But…."

Ino raised an eyebrow, waiting for the woman to continue.

"I-I'm pregnant...found out two weeks ago...and I just went through battle...I'm scared that I lost...it."

Ino nodded her head and for a moment thought about her own pregnancy.

"How many months are you?" Ino asked.

"Maybe a month?" the shinobi answered.

"We can try an ultrasound, but I'm afraid it's too early. You'll have to wait a couple of more weeks."

The woman looked down and frowned, tears rolling down her face. "I wish I hadn't been part of that battle. My husband and I have been trying for years to conceive, and now I'm afraid that I lost it."

Ino wasn't sure what to say, but she felt bad for the woman. She wasn't sure what else to say to her, so instead she gave her a hug.

"I wish you luck." Ino whispered to her, and for a second she felt motherly instincts hit her as she prayed that the fetus was alright.

The woman smiled at her and left.

_Well, that should be the last one._

As soon as she exited the room, Ino immediately closed the door and ran towards one of the cabinets. She opened several of them until her eyes finally landed on what she needed: pregnancy test.

Grabbing one of the sticks and an empty plastic cup, Ino ran towards the bathroom.

_Let it be negative ...let it be negative…_

Ino sat on the floor impatiently, watching as the small square on the stick began to change color and to her horror, two lines appeared. Angrily, Ino threw the stick on the floor and groaned as she wasn't sure what to do. Telling her family meant telling them that for a year now, she and the Kazekage have been in a relationship, even though neither of them have labeled each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Looking up at the clock and realizing that it was getting late, Ino stood up and left.

* * *

Her dinner had been quick, even though she still felt hungry. She had eaten dinner in silence amongst Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru, which had Kankuro repeatedly asking her what was wrong.

Turning off the shower, Ino stepped out and stopped to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes quickly travelled to her abdomen and knew that in another month or so, she would start showing. The thought of her showing shook her and she quickly wrapped the towel around her body, not wanting to inspect more.

_I guess I'll have to start buying maternity clothes soon…_

Ino opened the door and walked over to the chest of drawers. Normally when staying in Suna, she would sleep in her lingerie, since most nights Gaara would end up taking it off her-

"Oh!" Ino jumped against the drawer, the edge poking her stomach and she mentally cursed.

Strong arms hugged her from behind and Ino felt him snuggle his face against the crook of her neck. He was home.

_Gaara, you're going to be a father…_

"Gaara…" Ino had trouble saying the next few words. She wasn't sure how to tell him and as she turned around to look at him, she saw that he looked tired and figured that it was best to tell him another time.

His gourd was lying on the corner of the room.

"You look tired." she said, watching as he finally opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I am." he replied, walking away from her and lying on the bed, his right arm resting lazily on top of his forehead.

Taking advantage at the fact that his eyes were closed, Ino quickly put on her undergarments as well as a large t-shirt. Even though she wasn't showing yet (she thought), she felt as if she had to hide her stomach.

She walked towards the bed and crawled onto it, lying next to him. If it hadn't been for her thoughts on pregnancy, she would have been her usual sexual self with him. She remembered the first couple of months of their relationship and how she had tried not go too sexual on him, considering he was new to a lot of the feelings. The first time she had climbed on him, he had stared at her with wide eyes. She had removed his shirt and trailed kisses around his neck. The third time she had tried the same thing, he had taken over control and done the same thing to her.

"You're quiet." Gaara said after finally opening his eyes and looking at her. "What's on your mind?"

_Oh...nothing...much...except that fact that in about nine months...we'll have a kid…_

Ino forced a smile, feeling butterflies in her stomach. "Nothing, just figured that you were too tired to have conversations."

Ino watched as he lifted himself slightly and then leaned over her. Her eyes widened as she saw him place his head on her stomach, his hand slowly touching her navel. Sometimes, his actions would confuse her, but never scared her. She had figured that his actions meant that he had something in mind, but didn't know how to tell her.

However right now, she wasn't sure if he wanted sex or if he somehow felt the life growing within her.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Ino asked, turning her head to the side and watching as he closed his eyes.

"Sleeping."

Ino didn't realize she had been holding her breath until it came out as a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and massaged his scalp, falling asleep as well.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, what do you guys think? Yay or nay? This will be a short story. I wanted to write it as a one-shot before, but since I wanted to cover more things, decided to break it down into few more chapters. Let me know what you guys think. Please leave a comment so I know whether to continue or if not. I welcome criticism as well :)


	2. Chapter 2

Next morning….

Shikamaru wasn't sure what to think. He had been helping Temari with packing up for their trip back to Konoha when something in the bathroom trash had caught his attention. With slight curiously, he had briefly glanced at the small bucket to see the pink object sticking out. He wasn't one to go through trash, but watching the two parallel lines display on the stick made him pull the stick out and look at it.

_Temari's finally pregnant?_

They had been trying for months on conceiving to the point that mentally, he had given up. Although Temari was a strong kunoichi, at night after taking pregnancy tests and seeing the negative results, Shikamaru would hold her while she cried.

He threw the stick back inside the trash bin and washed his hands, feeling happy yet nervous.

_I'm going to be a dad._

The thought scared him, and he walked out of the restroom. He was confused though on why she hadn't told him. He figured that this would be something he would talk to her about right away.

Shikamaru exited the bedroom and walked towards the dining area, watching as Kankuro and Ino sat down while Temari placed the food on the table. He sat on the opposite side of the table and looked at her as she sat next to him.

Temari raised an eyebrow as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Shika, is everything OK?" she asked.

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, still keeping his eyes on her.

"Are you sure you're good to travel? We can stay here a bit longer until you feel comfortable." he said casually.

Temari placed her drink down and gave him a questioning look. "Of course I am good to travel. Never felt better."

Shikamaru nodded, looking at Kankuro and Ino as they both gave him a strange look. He quickly changed the subject.

"What's going on with those rogue ninjas attacking Suna shinobis? I haven't seen Gaara in days."

Kankuro became serious. "He's meeting with councilmembers at this moment as well, as preparing for any potential threats."

Ino kept quiet as she remembered waking up to an empty room. Not waking up next to him had made her sad and without much thought, she had rubbed her abdomen. Part of her wondered how they were going to raise a child with him constantly being busy protecting his village. And although Suna was in better terms with other villages, there were still a few enemies around who wanted to target the Kazekage.

"You're awfully quiet, Blondie."

Ino looked up at Kankuro, watching as he finished eating his breakfast.

"Just hoping that there are less casualties today." Ino responded. It wasn't a lie.

She looked down at her uneaten breakfast and felt her stomach turn. She always loved Temari's cooking, especially during breakfast time. However today, the smell of the food was making her nauseous and at seven-thirty am, she had started to crave chocolate.

They finished breakfast and parted ways.

As Ino walked towards the hospital, she glanced at the children playing around. A few of them were throwing shurikens at a wall, competing to see who would hit the red dot.

Ino wondered if their child would be quiet like him, or boisterous like her. More importantly, she wondered what type of father Gaara would be.

Opening the hospital doors, Ino walked inside and spent the rest of her days checking up on patients.

* * *

Her day was longer than what she wanted. While no other attacks had happened that day, she had treated many of the locals for hours until the sun began to set.

"We thought about what's going on and decided to stay." Temari said.

Chouji nodded, staring at the meat cooking in the middle of the table. "Naruto, Hinata, Lee, Neji, Tenten, and Sakura will be coming in the next few days," he mentioned, using his chopsticks to now grab the already cooked meat.

Ino smiled at the thought of her pink-haired friend coming to Suna, feeling as she finally had someone to confide in about her pregnancy. However, that also meant telling her about her relationship with Gaara.

"They can stay with us," Temari offered with a bright smile. "We have plenty of room and I know the majority of them will want to share."

"Still can't believe Naruto had the guts to finally ask Hinata out. She's been in love with him for years." Shikamaru mentioned, taking a sip of his sake.

"Hey Ino, you don't like the food?" Temari asked her.

Ino gave her a smile, turning her head to the side so her bangs covered one of her eyes. "I'm actually craving some white rice...with spinach on top...and maybe some chocolate on the side…"

They all stared at her confusingly. To them, it probably sounded disgusting but for her, it sounded like the best meal ever. And who cares what they thought? It wasn't like they were the ones with Gaara's baby inside.

"That's a strange craving," Temari said, grabbing Shikamaru's sake bottle and taking a sip.

Shikamaru jumped on his seat and quickly grabbed the bottle away from her. Temari gave him a perplexed look before snatching the bottle back towards her.

"Shika, what are-"

"I don't think you should be drinking that." he said.

"And why not?" she asked curiously.

Shikamaru glanced at Chouji and Ino. He didn't want to talk about the pregnancy test in front of them just yet. He knew that the moment Ino found out, word would travel fast in both villages.

"We'll talk about it another time," he said, grabbing Temari's hand, "Just for tonight, don't drink."

Temari stared at him for a moment before placing the bottle of sake back down on the table. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, giggling as Shikamaru blushed. He hated public affection.

"Fine."

* * *

_What to expect when you're expecting…._

Ino stared at the book with wide eyes, nervous of reading through it. She had grabbed the book from the hospital library, deciding that it was best she educated herself more on what her body was about to go through.

Sitting on her bed with her hair down and wearing the same oversized t-shirt as last night, she opened the book and read the first chapter, which was conveniently titled **Are You Pregnant?**

The first couple of paragraphs mentioned missed periods, and Ino began to count the last time she had menstruated. To her horror, she didn't remember the last time she had her period. But she did know that it was way over a month ago, which meant that she was closely approaching the two month mark.

Ino groaned as she threw the book on the bed and rushed to the bathroom, already making sense of the nausea that had been accumulating in her throat. Leaning over the toilet, Ino took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. The _idea_ of vomiting made her more nauseas. Her mind came to a startling realization, while bent over, as she felt part of her underwear feel tighter by her stomach. Standing up straight, Ino lifted the hem of her shirt and inspected her abdomen closer.

Yup, there it was ...her bump. Small, but somewhat visible if she turned a certain angle.

_How did I not notice it yesterday?_

In reality, she had noticed it. Yet, her mind had been preoccupied with other things, mainly denying the results of the test, that she did not pay close attention to how her abdomen already showed a small bump.

"What are you doing?"

Ino squeaked and quickly lowered her shirt, turning around and giving Gaara a cheesy smile as she felt her heart began to race. Was that another symptom of her pregnancy, or was her panic due to the fact that the pregnancy book she had been reading earlier laid on the bed right behind him? Maybe both.

"Ino," he spoke again, and she noticed the slight irritation in his voice.

_Clearly, today is not the day in telling him..._

His hair was wet and he wore a black long-sleeve shirt with black loose pants.

This was how they usually met at night without his siblings or anyone else finding out about their relationship. They would be in their separate bedrooms until late at night when everyone was asleep; and every time, it would be him going to the guest room she stays in, as she wasn't sure when he would be home most times.

Gaara usually looked tired due to the dark circles around his eyes, but today he looked more tired and...angry? Ino knew that he was stressed out over the random attacks that have been happening right outside his village, and she wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you tonight...with everything that's been happening." she said, her eyes eyeing to the book on the bed.

He closed his eyes and gave her a slight nod, turning around. Ino gasped and quickly ran towards him and not knowing what to do, jumped on his back, arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist. She remembered the first time she tried doing this, his defense acted up and pushed her back. However, after months of intimate contact, it knew that she wasn't going to hurt him.

Gaara turned his head slightly towards her, eyes narrowing. Ino gulped as she saw that today he was in no mood to play around.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Ino laughed nervously and began to massage his scalp with one hand. She watched as his eyes closed and he leaned his head back, putting more weight on her hand.

"I missed you, Gaara. I haven't seen you all day."

He exhaled deeply and Ino got off his back. Taking advantage of the fact that his eyes were closed, Ino walked around him as her hands continued to massage the base of his head. Swiftly, she lifted her right leg and pushed the book off the bed, cursing herself as it hit the nightstand next to it and made a loud crash on the floor.

"Weren't you going to read that?" he asked and Ino looked at him. His eyes were still closed.

She wondered how he knew that the book was there, but then realized that she had been staring at her stomach for minutes before noticing him enter her room.

"N-No," she said, looking elsewhere as he finally opened his tired eyes. "I was just skimming through it… To learn more about pregnancies… So I can help kunoichi's better…"

Well, it wasn't a lie. There were some things in there that even she wasn't aware of.

Uninterested in pursuing the subject further, Gaara walked over to the bed and laid down in his usual spot. Ino stared at him as he grabbed her arm and pulled her on top of him, causing her nausea to come again. Not wanting to make the night a horribly sticky smelly memory, Ino sprinted towards the bathroom and leaned over the toilet.

For years, she made sure to not puke. The smell and sight of vomit always grossed her out. She remembered the time she laughed at Sakura for getting too drunk and puking right after. That girl had low alcohol tolerance.

But here was Ino, puking over the toilet, her hand pressed tightly on her stomach. Luckily for her, it wasn't that much and she flushed quickly before seeing the disgusting contents floating in the water. Sighing, she turned on the faucet and began to rinse her mouth, grabbing her toothbrush and quickly brushing.

As she finished her routine, she stood up and met Gaara's concerned gaze through the mirror. Grabbing a towel and wiping her face dry, she gave him a reassuring smile. "I think I ate something bad over dinner."

He didn't say anything as he led her back to bed, gently this time. She laid her head on his chest and smiled as she felt him kiss her forehead. It was late and they both needed sleep. Ino smiled and snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth of his body.

She felt something tickle her stomach and looking down, she saw sand gently caressing her abdomen. Nervously, she looked up at Gaara and saw that he was already asleep. Ino looked back down at the sand as it continued to hug her abdomen and she sighed, wondering if it was able to detect the little human being growing inside of her.

* * *

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

"How many of those are you going to eat?"

Ino put the banana down and looked at her pink-haired friend. The chocolate at the top of the banana dripped onto the table and Ino quickly cleaned the mess with a napkin. She didn't want Temari going after her for leaving her table dirty.

"Bananas are healthy." Ino commented, dipping her banana again into the chocolate dip.

"You've eaten five bananas, all covered in chocolate." Sakura said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"And since when did you have a thing against bananas and chocolates?" Ino inquired, facing her friend.

"I don't, but I question the quantity…"

Ino ignored her as she finished her sixth banana and frowned. She had failed to realize that she had eaten all of Temari's bananas and the Suna kunoichi didn't have more. Signing, Ino dipped her finger into the remaining chocolate pudding and licked. Tenten gave her an interesting look before meeting Sakura's gaze.

"I think we should get going." Tenten said as she stood from her place at the table. "Kazekage-sama has instructed all Shinobis to be ready by seven-thirty am."

The mention of Gaara caused Ino to stop and place the chocolate back down. Last time she had seen him was when his sand had decided to caress her now slightly obvious little bump, and that was almost five days ago. She desperately missed his touches at night and teared up every night that he wasn't there. Ino was aware that she could get very emotional, but thanks to the pregnancy, her emotions had become more out of control.

Tensions between Suna and the rogue ninjas have grown worse, so she understood why he wasn't staying at home. She had overheard Temari and Shikamaru talking about how Gaara and a few guards would stay vigilant at night. She imagined him standing there with his gourd on his back, arms crossed in front of his chest, as always. Once she would fall asleep, she had nightmares of him being taken away, just like how he was years ago by the Akatsuki.

"Ino."

Upon hearing her name, she turned her head and saw Tenten and Sakura standing by the door. Realizing that they were going to be late, she got up and grabbed her small bag.

The trio walked through the streets of Suna and towards the gate where Temari and Hinata waited. Ino pulled her t-shirt down, hoping that it wouldn't raise upwards as they walked. She could no longer wear her typical crop top shirts with her mini skirts, which was a shame since she loved to show off her stomach. However, she wasn't risking it. She remembered Sakura asking her why she was wearing a t-shirt all of the sudden, something that didn't really fit into Ino's fashion guide.

They reached their fellow comrades and Temari began speaking.

"I got word from Kankuro a few minutes ago. They showed up again, but in less numbers this time."

"Any injuries?" Sakura inquired.

Temari nodded. "We have a few of our people badly injured, so we need you and Ino in the battlefield asap."

They nodded in understanding and left.

As the five kunoichis ran towards the battlefield, Ino felt herself using more chakra than usual in order to keep up with the rest of them. Part of her wanted to stop to catch her breath, but that meant explaining to them why all of the sudden she was becoming more and more out of breath. In addition, she wanted to see Gaara and see for herself that he was okay.

"That t-shirt slowing you down, Ino-pig?!"

Ino growled as Sakura slowed down and ran alongside her.

"I was just in deep thinking, Forehead!" Ino exclaimed back, using more chakra to run faster.

They continued to run for another fifteen minutes before catching up with the rest of the team. Ino's eyes quickly darted around the group, frowning as she saw no red-head insight.

There were a couple of Shinobis from Suna injured on the ground, and Sakura quickly got to helping them out. Ino approached one of the Shinobis who was still conscious. She saw he had a broken ankle and a deep cut on his arm.

"What happened here? Where's the Kazekage?" Ino whispered and the man turned towards her.

"W-We won," he replied, watching the glowing green light emitting from her hands and onto his foot. "We think we know who did it. That's where Lord Kazekage went to verify."

"And who do you think is behind this?" she asked.

The man opened his mouth to speak but stopped once he saw his leader appear in front of the group with Kankuro and Naruto right behind him. Ino stopped herself from jumping in excitement, knowing that it would raise some eyebrows. In addition, they were in the middle of a battlefield with injured ninjas around them. Not an appropriate time to be fangirling.

As she continued to heal the man, she eyed her lover from the corner of her eyes. Ino saw as he walked over to Temari and told her something, which caused her eyes to widen and say something back to him, which had him nod in return.

"H-Hey, you oK?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ino shook her head slightly and looked down at the man she thought she was healing. She looked down at her hands and noticed that she was no longer healing him. Smiling nervously, she emitted more chakra out of her hands and continued. As she was close to finishing up with him, she turned her head and watched as Gaara had two fingers over his closed right eye.

"It's clear," he said out loud to the group, placing his hand down and re-opening his eye. "No one has followed us."

Ino felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched his head slowly turn towards her, his eyes meeting hers. Giving him a slight smile, she saw how messy his hair was with streaks of sweat running down the side of his head. It had been a long while since they had been intimate, and before her stomach got bigger, she wanted to spend the rest of her time in Suna making love to him.

"Um ... Miss?"

Snapping back to reality, Ino looked down again and saw that she was gripping the man's forearm hard. Apologizing with a blush on her face, she let go of his arm and stood up. Ino took one last glance at Gaara and saw this time that he was talking to his siblings.

After another half hour, they decided to start leaving back to Suna but in groups. The first group that left were led by Shikamaru and Temari. Ino waited back patiently, semi paying attention to whatever Sakura and Tenten were telling her. She nodded here and there as they continued talking, her eyes quickly taking glances at Gaara. He stood casually next to his brother with his arms crossed in front of his chest. She watched as he nodded at something Kankuro said regarding the second group leaving soon.

Gaara's head quickly turned towards her as a loud screech escaped her lips the moment she felt a hard pinch on her arm. Ino glared at Sakura while rubbing her forearm.

"What was that for?" Ino asked, almost yelling.

"You've been ignoring us! Besides, we're leaving soon. We're going in the second group with Kankuro." Sakura said, grabbing her bag from the ground.

"I'll go with the third group." Ino said.

"I'll see tonight then. Temari and Shikamaru are hosting a small party before we all leave back to Konoha." Sakura informed her and Ino nodded.

The second group left, with Kankuro and Neji leading.

Ino sighed and looked around. There were about fifteen Suna Shinobi left, Naruto, Hinata, herself, and the Kazekage.

It was almost noon and she felt the sun getting hotter. She felt a weird sensation in her stomach and covered her mouth, closing her eyes and leveling her breaths in order not to throw up.

"I-Ino, are you OK?"

"Hey Hinata," Ino said, almost as a whisper. "I'm fine...Just...v-very tired. I think I need to sit."

Hinata grabbed her arm gently and led her towards a rock. The moment Ino sat down, her nausea subsided but she still felt very fatigued. She knew that there was no way she could run back to Suna, especially not in this heat.

"Ino, what's wrong?" Hinata asked, sitting beside her.

Turning around and looking back at Gaara, who was now talking to his remaining men, Ino gave a nervous look to her friend. She knew that she couldn't hold her secret forever, especially today.

"Hinata, you are the first person I am going to tell this to." Ino said and watched as Hinata slowly nodded her head. Taking a deep breath, Ino continued, her heart beating nervously. "I'm…. I'm pregnant."

Hinata's eyes widened as a small gasp escaped her lips. A wide smile appeared on her face but then disappeared, her eyebrows slightly narrowed. Ino knew why Hinata had that mixed reaction. Out of the five of them, Ino was the only one who was single...according to everyone's eyes at least.

"Ino, if you don't mind me asking...b-but who's the father? It's OK if you don't want to tell me!"

Ino smiled and shook her head. "I trust you," she said, bending her arms and rubbing her forearms. "He's...He's not from Konoha…"

Hinata raised an eyebrow and guessed. "Is he...from Suna?"

_Damn, she's good._

Ino nodded, her heart beating faster. Hinata touched the bottom of her lips and turned her head. Ino turned her head in order to see what, or who, Hinata was looking at. After a couple of seconds, Hinata turned her head back to Ino and gave her a slight smile. "It's definitely not Kankuro."

Ino took another breath and nodded, feeling her palms getting sweaty.

"Ino, is it...Gaara?"

Biting her lip and closing her eyes, she nodded and Hinata rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Does he know?"

She shook her head and looked down at the dry ground.

"Why not?"

"I...I don't know how to tell him. We don't even call each other boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Wh-When did this all start happening?" Hinata asked.

"About a year ago? We've been seeing each other for about a year now…"

Hinata paused for a while, thinking, before finally asking. "Is that why you were away a lot?"

Ino nodded and smiled. Whenever there was something needed in Suna, she would volunteer for it. In addition, there would be times Lady Tsunade would receive a scroll from the Kazekage, asking if Ino could be sent for a few weeks in order to help train more upcoming Suna medical staff.

"When are you going to tell him?" Hinata asked.

"Maybe to-tonight?" Ino said. "I'm still not sure how to tell him. He's been busier than usual lately."

Hinata nodded understandingly. Both Kunoichis heard the men getting ready to leave and Ino shot an anxious look at her friend. "I don't have enough energy to keep up with everyone."

She was scared that Gaara would notice her struggling and inquire what was wrong.

"Hinata!"

_Great… Here comes Naruto…_

"What are you two doing? We're about to leave." Naruto said, standing in front of them.

Hinata looked at him for a moment and then back at Ino. She knew that her friend wouldn't be able to catch up with them. As a matter of fact, she shouldn't even be out here.

"I...I'm feeling a little down, so Ino will walk alongside me. B-But you can go ahead in front of us! We-We'll be right behind you guys!"

Naruto raised a concerned eyebrow at her and placed his palm on her forehead. Ino rolled her eyes as she saw Hinata's face turned red.

"Hmm…. I don't feel a fever…" Naruto said, the back of his hand travelling to her neck.

Ino shook her head as she saw Hinata almost faint from her own shyness.

"I...I...I…."

"No worries, I can carry you if that's the case!" Naruto said, grabbing her by her arm and lowering his body. Hinata shrieked as Naruto pulled her onto his back and grabbed the back of her knees.

"Hold on tight!" Naruto said and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He began to run quickly, passing by the strange looks the Shinobi men were giving them. If it wasn't for her situation, Ino would have laughed at the scenario. But right now, her mind kept thinking about taking a nice warm bath and eating chocolate covered strawberries.

"Go." Gaara commanded to the remaining men.

The Shinobi nodded and began to run, trailing right behind Naruto. Ino stood up, deciding that she would just run at her own pace...or just walk. She knew that if she ran, she could faint and that wouldn't be good for the fetus inside her.

Ino frowned as she saw Gaara standing still, looking at her as if he was waiting for her. She walked towards him, unsure as to why he wasn't with his men. Did he overhear what she told Hinata?

"You don't look well." he stated matter-of-factly and she wondered how he had noticed.

"I didn't sleep well last night." she said, which wasn't a lie. She had gotten used to sleeping by his side and for the last few days, he had been too busy to pay her his usual late night visits.

As if reading her mind, he leaned his head down slightly and whispered into her ear. "You should be able to… Tonight."

Now it was Ino's turn to blush just like Hinata. However, she rarely felt shy around Gaara. She wasn't the shy person. She blamed the pregnancy hormones.

"Let's go." he said, grabbing her hand.

It was just the two of them around, so she knew that no one would be able to notice them.

"I don't have the energy to run. I will walk…"

"Not needed," he said, hand extending downwards.

Ino looked down and saw a sand platform appear underneath her feet. The platform began to ascend and she felt his arm gently wrap around her waist. Ino turned towards her side, so her eyes met his shoulder, in order for his hand to rest on her hip instead. She was worried that he would have touched her stomach and felt the slight bump.

"Won't they see us?" she asked him.

"I know a different way." he said softly, and the platform pivoted towards a different direction.

* * *

Ino wanted nothing more than to steal the content that were in Chouji's plates. On one plate, he had rice, pork, and beef. On the second plate, he had a large chocolate cake that Hinata had baked earlier. Yes, she also had a plate of cake as well. But she was eating for two now. She deserved a second slice.

By the corner of the living room, she saw Rock Lee making cocktails and handing out glasses to the rest of the guests. According to Sakura and Tenten, Lee made great cocktails, and had even managed to get the aloof Neji somewhat tipsy.

"Blondie!"

Ino turned around and smiled as Kankuro walked towards her with one of Lee's super Sake drinks. He looked at the drink in her hand and raised an eyebrow. "You're drinking water?"

"Something wrong with water?"

Kankuro laughed and shook his head. "Nothing wrong with water. Just surprised that you aren't getting drunk. Something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Ino said and looked around. There was no sign of Gaara and everyone else was busy socializing. "Do we know why those Suna shinobis kept getting attacked?"

Smirking, Kankuro nodded and she wondered what was humorous. "Yeah, we figured it out…."

Ino raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "I don't know if I should say though…"

"I won't tell, I promise." Ino said, trying to calm her eagerness and curiosity.

"Fine, but don't tell anyone I told you." Seeing her nod, he continued. "The attacks have been initiated by some princess who our council members wanted Gaara to marry."

Ino's smile faded as she had to grab her glass cup of water with her other hand in order not to drop it and mess up Temari's beautiful carpet. "Gaara was...engaged?" Ino tried hard to sound surprised. If she had been drinking, she probably would have yelled.

Kankuro took a sip from his Sake, scrunching his eyes as Lee's powerful alcoholic drink was finally getting to him. "No, never engaged. But he's constantly getting pressed by our council members to marry soon. Not sure how he does it, but he's been turning them down a lot...it's almost a daily thing that they ask him."

Ino nodded, though her mind was still on that princess. "When did your council members want Gaara to marry this princess?"

"Not too long ago I think." Kankuro responded, rubbing his chin. "I think maybe five months ago…"

"And did they ever meet?" she asked quickly. She was glad that he was drinking. A buzzed Kankuro meant that she would get her answers faster. Clearly Gaara had been keeping some things from her.

"Oh yeah," Kankuro said with a nod. "She stayed at our village a couple of times. Gaara was formal enough to take her out to eat for dinner a few times. To be nice and keep everything at peace, of course. But he always declined the offers of course. And now, she's been sending rogue ninjas to attack our men."

Ino had stopped listening once he mentioned the part of Gaara taking this woman out to dinner. Five months ago...which meant that for the past months that she had been visiting the sand village, he had not said anything to her regarding the matter. Now she had many questions and her mind was racing through them quickly. Why didn't Gaara tell her anything? The times that she came to visit the village, did they ever cross paths? Why did these council members want him to marry so quickly? He was just eighteen. Are there any other "princesses" out there that she should be aware of?

_I need a drink…_ Ino thought. But despite the anger boiling within her, she knew better than to grab an alcoholic drink.

"Ino!"

The kunoichi turned around to a bubbling Naruto approaching her with a cup of Lee's infamous Sake in hand. The guy couldn't handle his liquor and was as lightweight as a paper. She wasn't sure why he was walking towards her but was taken aback by the sudden hug he gave her.

"Hey Naruto…?" Ino said, patting his back lightly.

Everyone stared at her confusingly and she wasn't sure what to do.

"I can't believe it…"

_Is he crying?_

Ino could feel Naruto tremble in her arms and she looked at Hinata, who gave her a confused glance back.

"Naruto, what's wrong with you?" she asked, pushing him gently back.

Naruto gave her a goofy grin and laughed. "I can't believe that one of my best buds is going to be a father!"

There was a long silence and the only noise that was heard was Naruto's drunk crying. Ino wasn't sure what to say and her eyes quickly darted to Hinata, whose face happened to be redder than usual. Before she could inquire what he was talking about, Ino heard Shikamaru clear his throat.

"Naruto, you know about...us?" he asked, pointing at both Temari and himself.

The ninja in question gave him a perplexed look. "You pregnant too?!"

"No!" Temari replied, looking at a now shocked Shikamaru for answers.

"That pregnancy test…"

"_What_ pregnancy test?" Temari asked and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"I saw a pregnancy test in your bathroom...and it was positive."

Temari looked at him surprised. "I-I haven't taken any pregnancy test lately! Someone else must have been using-". She stopped speaking as her brain began to remember the only other female who had been using her bathroom recently. Her eyes quickly landed on Ino, who had a terrified look on her face.

"So, you're not pregnant." Shikamaru said, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't look too disappointed, Shikamaru. You're going to be an uncle!" Naruto, giving a thumbs up to him.

Shikamaru eyed Temari again, who was now walking slowly towards Ino.

"Ino…."

_Oh crap…. _

"You're...pregnant…?"

Non-pregnant Ino would have given the Suna kunoichi a strange look and possibly laughed at such a question. But pregnant Ino, who had all of her emotions all over the place right now, wasn't sure what to do. The bit of information that Kankuro had just told her was still in her mind.

She didn't realize her eyes were getting watery until a tear rolled down her cheeks. Sakura was immediately in front of her as well, tipsy and almost dropping her drink.

"Was that why you looked tired today!? Why didn't you tell me!" Sakura asked.

"And why you've been craving weird food?" Temari followed up.

"It tastes good to me." Ino replied, folding her arms and looking away. Everyone's full attention was now on her and she needed to run away.

"I now see why you refused to drink my very special Rock Lee Super Sake!" Lee said next to her humbly. "You are protecting your little bundle of joy! Such beautiful consideration!"

Ino nodded at him, watching as his eyes were wide and... was he crying? He was, and it was causing her to tear up more. Damn pregnancy hormones. Naruto walked over to the overly emotional Lee and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He was crying as well, which earned a look from Sakura.

"Naruto, why are you crying?"

"B-Because…." Naruto said, rubbing his wet face with the handkerchief Lee had just given him. "My buddy Gaara told me that he'll consider making me Godfather. You heard the same thing too, right Hinata!?"

The girl in question was hiding behind her cousin and Tenten, but Naruto could still see the slight nod in her head.

Ino dropped her glass of water as shocked faces flew back to her.

"You...told...Gaara…?" Ino asked slowly, her hands trembling. But Naruto didn't seem to hear her as everyone began to surround her.

She heard Kankuro from behind mutter an 'oh shit' before grabbing her shoulder and turning her around gently. "I'm going to be an uncle?" he asked, and Ino wondered if he was going to cry too.

"You've been seeing the Kazekage?!"

"Is that why you were always away in missions?!"

"You've been sleeping with my brother and neither of you told me this?"

"Well ...he could have told you! He's your brother." Ino said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Temari shook her head and then looked at Kankuro. "Were you aware of this?"

The puppet master shook his head, his own mind going through what he had just told the woman who was carrying his brother's child. Now he knew understood why she kept pressing him for more questions about the princess.

_Crap, I just made Gaara seem like some cheating bastard…_

Wanting to get away from the situation, he went over to the drinks section Lee had created earlier and poured himself more alcohol.

"Naruto, where's Gaara's now? You're the last one who saw him." Temari asked.

"Hmmmm…. Oi, Hinata ... where did Gaara say he was going again!? I can't remember."

"H-He said he was going to speak with some council members first regarding the battle before coming here." She responded, still standing behind Neji and Tenten.

"Good, I have questions for him." Temari said, hands on her hips and Shikamaru chuckled at her.

"What, are you going to scold him for becoming a father-to-be?"

Temari ignored him and turned her head to address Ino, but stopped once noticing that she was no longer there.

"Where's Ino?"

"Clearly being pregnant also made her stealthier. She's usually not this quiet." Naruto commented, which earned him a smack from Sakura on the back of his head.

"I'm going to look for her. I'll go alone." Temari said to Shikamaru as she walked towards the front door. "It's best if just one person talks to her."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding, watching as Temari opened the front door and stopped in her tracks. There was an awkward silence by everyone as they saw the emotionless red-head standing by the doorway. Temari had many questions for him, but wasn't sure which one to start with and how to start them. For once though, she was glad that Naruto's loud mouth broke the awkward silence.

"There's the father-to-be! Oi Gaara, I'm still going to be the godfather and not Shikamaru, right?!"

* * *

Author's Note: Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm lost…._

Ino looked around the semi-empty streets of Suna, wondering where she was. With her mind racing, she had lost track of where she was walking.

She had sneaked out of through her guest room window and into the night, wanting to get away from the stares and questions. Now that they knew that she had been seeing the Kazekage and was currently carrying his child, thanks to Hinata and Naruto, she wouldn't be surprised if Lady Tsunade and her parents found out within the next couple of hours. Despite the distance between the two villages, rumors and gossip always found itself to be constantly traveling between them.

But her mind wasn't on the pregnancy, not right now at least. It was on the princess that Kankuro had mentioned to her, and how Gaara had taken the woman out for dinner. Ino didn't care that he did it for formalities and in ensuring peace. The image of him sitting at some lavish restaurant with some princess, candles in the middle of the table, angered her. Every time she closed her eyes, she imagined the scenario.

What was she wearing during this date?

What was he wearing?

Did they hold hands?

If she held his, did he pull away?

Did these dates happen while she was here?

The thought that really made her stop walking aimlessly was the fact that he had never taken her on a date. Their relationship existed behind closed doors. No dates, no flowers. It was just conversation and sex. And look what the months of unprotected sex did to her…

"I'm so stupid…" Ino muttered under her breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Miss, are you OK?"

Ino turned her head and saw an older woman standing by the doorway of her home with a young girl hugging her legs. Wiping the tears away from her face, Ino gave the stranger a smile.

"I'm fine." she lied, pushing her blond bangs behind her ear.

The woman gave her an unconvinced look. "Would you like some water? It's really hot out there, even at night. And you look like you could use it."

Ino nodded, accepting the invitation. She wasn't sure for how long she had been walking around, but her throat was dry.

The woman's home was small, but cozy. There were minimal decorations, and the only pictures that hung on the wall were of the woman and the little girl.

The woman offered her a chair and Ino sat down across from the young girl.

"You're not from this village." she said, pouring a cold glass of water.

Ino stared at the water, her mouth becoming even drier. She shook her head at the woman. "No, I am not. I'm from Konoha." she replied, thanking the woman afterwards and drinking the water. The moment it entered her mouth and down her throat, she felt a relaxing feeling swarm her body.

"How far along are you?"

The question startled her and she placed the glass down. The woman was now sitting diagonally from her with a warm smile. Ino stared down at the empty cup.

"Almost two months, I think… I haven't been doing a good at keeping track lately. How did you know I was pregnant?"

The woman pointed at Ino's hands and she looked down. Her hands were rubbing her abdomen gently. Ino didn't remember when she started touching her stomach, but she had noticed herself doing so randomly and subconsciously sometimes.

"I used to do the same thing back when I was pregnant with this one over here," the woman replied, tilting her head towards the little girl next to her.

"How was your pregnancy?" Ino asked, this time rubbing the small bump even more. She knew no one else that she could ask in regards to the matter.

"Stressful, painful, sad sometimes… But," the woman replied, touching the little girl's hair soothingly, "All worth it."

Ino nodded and looked down at her hands as her fingers slipped underneath her shirt and rubbed the swollen skin underneath. Her previous anger had subsided and she closed her eyes, hoping that it would be a girl. She imagined herself teaching her young daughter about the different flowers that grew in Konoha.

"Look Mama, there's an eye!"

"Maaya, what are you talking about." the woman said, looking at the window behind Ino.

Ino turned as well but neither women saw anything.

"Don't pay much attention to her," the woman said to Ino, "Sometimes she says the strangest things."

Ino smiled, watching as the little girl continued to point towards the window.

"May I use your bathroom, um… Sorry, I never got your name?"

The window nodded and stood up. "My name's Vera and yes, right this way."

Vera led her through the small hallway of her home and towards the restroom.

"Thank you, and I'm Ino." she said, extending her hand.

The woman shook it. "Nice to meet you, Ino. Feel free to make yourself at home. I have an extra bed. It's just Maaya and myself in this small little place."

"I would love that." Ino replied, giving her a smile.

* * *

_The little girl ran around the tower, giggling. She carried a large bouquet of flowers in her small hands, not realizing that she was leaving a trail of pedals behind. She passed a couple of Suna guards, who stood still as they watched the two year-old run as sand followed her._

_"You can't catch me!" she screamed, turning a corner and heading towards the closed door._

_She stopped in front of the door and looked up, eyeing the doorknob that was out of her reach. Her little head turned to the side as the sand elevated above her head and turned the doorknob, causing the door to open a few inches. _

_Holding the flowers with one hand, she lifted her other hand and gently pushed the door open. Her dirty bare feet touched the green colored floor as she walked across the room and around the table. Upon seeing red hair, she ran towards the chair and lifted her hand upwards._

_The red-haired man turned and looked down at her, his lips raised in a small smile. _

_"These are from mommy!" she said, lifting the flowers towards him. _

_The man grabbed the flowers and patted her strawberry-blond hair. He continued to pat her head as blood began to pool around their feet. It began to rise, reaching her thin ankles and then her knees. _

_Wait, blood…?_

_Why was there blood?_

Ino woke up startled as she felt sweat running down her forehead and neck. She pushed aside the thick blanket, taking a deep breath once she felt a cool small breeze hit her body. Sitting up, Ino rubbed the back of her sweaty neck, pushing her long blond locks away from her moist skin. She looked around the small room which Vera had offered her. Although the bed was small, Ino welcomed the sense of home that it had brought her. Vera had apologized for the small bed, but Ino hadn't mind. Sleep had taken over the moment she laid down.

Ino rubbed her small bump as she felt a strange sensation within her. Sitting up, her eyebrows furrowed as she felt dampness around her lower half. Moving her feet off the bed and getting up, she removed her skirt and lowered it to her knees. Lifting her shirt a bit higher, she turned her leg in order to get a better view of her inner thigh and gasped as she saw small drops of blood running down.

A quick removal of her undergarments proved her fear and she quickly dressed herself up again. Panic swelled in her chest and she quickly walked to the door. Turning the doorknob and opening the door slightly, Ino's eyes widened as she saw Gaara sitting on the small dining table, watching Vera's daughter hold a kunai with the tip of her little finger.

"Mama doesn't let me play with these!" she said, jumping around the table while carelessly throwing the kunai in the air but still being able to catch it.

Ino look at Vera who stood by the stove with wide eyes, hand covering her mouth as she watched her daughter throw the sharp weapon as if it some paper airplane. Ino could tell that the woman wanted to take the thing away from her, but knew better than to make the little girl sad and cry in front of the Kazekage.

"Can I keep it?!" Maaya asked, running over to the Kazekage with the weapon in her hand.

Gaara nodded, muttering a 'yes' and Ino saw Vera almost pass out.

"Careful with that around Lord Kazekage, Maaya." Vera said, placing her hand on her chest in horror as the kunai tilted in the air and came back down towards the red-head.

Gaara caught the weapon with ease, hand stretched over his head, and handed it back to the giggling little girl.

"I will!" the little girl said as she twirled around down the hallway and towards Ino's room.

Vera shook her head and offered more tea to Gaara.

"Hey Maaya,"

The little girl stopped twirling around and smiled at Ino. "You woke up!"

Ino nodded and motioned the girl to lower her voice. "Can you come here quickly."

Maaya ran towards her and Ino opened the door slightly more in order to let her in. Looking down at the little brunette reminded Ino of the small strawberry-blond girl from her dream.

"Do you know why the Kazekage is here, Maaya?" Ino asked and the little girl nodded.

"To see you! But you were sleeping, so he came back again and look what he gave me!" she said, showing Ino the kunai and how big it was compared to the little girl's hand.

"He came back again? Maaya, was he here last night?"

"Yup!" the little girl replied, watching as the weapon slipped from her hand. "But you were sleeping and mommy couldn't wake you. So he came again and with a present for me!"

"I know someone who can teach you how to throw that properly." Ino said, and Maaya jumped in excitement.

"Really?! Who?"

"Her name is Tenten, and I will introduce you to her one of these days. But I need a favor from you right now…"

"Aha!" the girl replied, pushing her messy brown locks away from her eyes.

"Can you go to the bathroom and bring me some sanitary pads?"

Maaya gave her a confused look, her little eyebrows furrowing, and Ino sighed. "You don't know what those are yet, do you?"

The girl shook her head.

"Fine, let's do this. Can you tell your mommy that I'm awake and that I need her assistance really fast. But tell just to your mommy, OK? Can you do that?"

Maaya nodded her head and Ino smiled, opening the door for her. Ino watched as the little girl ran back out through the hallway and towards the kitchen, grabbing her mother's attention. The girl stopped in front of her mother and Ino could see that the little girl was trying to formulate her sentences. Ino watched in horror as Maaya began to speak loudly.

"Mama, she says she's awake!"

Vera smiled and looked at the Kazekage. "That's great-"

"And she also said that..that...that she needs sanitary pads!"

Ino's eyes almost rolled out of her head and Vera covered her mouth with her hand, her face flushed as she took a quick glance at the Kazekage. Putting her cup of tea down, Vera gave an apologetic look to the Kazekage.

"I-I am so sorry, Lord Kazekage." she said, "She just says the strangest thing. L-Let me go check up on Ino to see if she needs m-"

"I'm right here," Ino said, walking out of the room. She met Gaara's gaze for a while before looking back at Vera. The kitchen felt hotter and it caused her to squint her eyes repeatedly. Ino leaned on her right foot as another wave of nausea and fatigue began to hit her.

"Is it normal to bleed at two months?" she asked and watched as Vera's eyes widened.

Ino felt her vision become distorted and her ears popping. She heard Vera say something but couldn't make out what she was saying. However she did feel familiar hands cupping her face before blacking out.

* * *

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

"Did you know it's possible to be pregnant for one year?" Tenten said with wide eyes, putting the book down in horror.

Ino looked at her and shook her head. "That is not happening to me."

"And how would you know, Ino-pig?" Sakura said, taking off her latex gloves.

Ino rolled her eyes and laid back down on the bed. She had been awake for about thirty minutes and hearing strange pregnancy facts coming from the bun-haired girl made her want to go back to sleep.

Sighing and turning her head on the pillow, Ino looked at Sakura. "How's it looking? Anything bad?"

The pink-haired girl gave her a reassuring smile and grabbed her hand. "I ran multiple tests, and everything looks fine. But just as a precaution, no more late night walks and try to relax."

Ino nodded in understanding. She knew she had been sedated for majority of her hospital stay, and the last thing she remembered was wondering how Gaara knew that she had been at Vera's house. Regardless of that, he already knew about her pregnancy.

There was a light knock before the door slightly opened, revealing Shikamaru and Chouji. Seeing their comrade awake, both men walked in and each gave her a hug. Tenten and Sakura departed, giving them some privacy.

"This is for you!" Chouji said as he gave a small cardboard box to Ino.

As soon as she smelled what was inside, a bright smile appeared on her lips as she opened the book and saw the small round chocolate cake with two perfect strawberries on top.

"Thank you, Cho!" she exclaimed, grabbing the plastic spoon next to it and eating.

"So…" Shikamaru said with a sigh, "That pregnancy test I saw was yours all this time?"

Ino nodded, grabbing one of the strawberries from top.

"I thought it was Temari's," he said, and Ino gave him a sad look.

"How is she doing?"

"Sad, considering for months we've been trying and nothing." he said. "But she's extremely happy for you. The idea of being an aunt excites her."

"You two can be babysitters while I'm gone in missions." she said with a chuckle and Shikamaru nodded.

"Still can't believe you're having the Kazekage's kid though." Chouji said, opening his own box of chocolate cake and eating it. "Why didn't you tell us you were seeing him, Ino?"

Ino shrugged, wondering herself the same thing. "I guess because I wasn't sure where it would lead to? I wasn't necessarily looking for a boyfriend at that time. Things just happened and...kept happening afterwards."

"Are you going to marry him?"

The question startled her. She almost immediately said no, but she was carrying his child now. Her thoughts had been on purchasing maternity clothes and chocolate that she had not thought about how she would raise her child alongside Gaara.

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest." she replied honestly.

"You may want to have that conversation sooner than later." Shikamaru said. "Also, your parents know."

Ino cursed underneath her breath, already hearing her parents voice in her head, asking her a million questions.

"They should be arriving in another three days." Shikamaru said.

She thanked him for the heads up, knowing that she should start practicing what she was going to say to them. Should she start with the fact that she's been sleeping with the Kazekage for a year or that she's pregnant with his kid?

There was another knock on the door and Shikamaru opened it, revealing a smiling Kankuro.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, grabbing a chair and sitting next to her.

"Much better, thanks to the cake Chouji brought me."

Kankuro nodded and gave her an apologetic look. "Listen Ino, what I told you about the other night about Gaara and princess… You're not too mad at him, are you?"

Ino had purposely refused to think about it. Yes, she was still angry at him and Kankuro could see the tension in her face.

"If it makes you feel any better," he continued, "Nothing happened between them. Our council members wanted him to give her a chance, but he always refused. He just took her out to a few dinners just for the sake of keeping peace during that time. But look what she's been doing now, paying rogue ninjas to attack our men."

"He never took me out for dinner." she said, looking at him directly. "We spent our time mostly behind closed doors. We never went on dates or had romantic walks…"

Kankuro nodded, understanding where her pain was. He was surprised that his own brother had been able to keep his relationship with Ino a secret. There have been numerous times where she had visited his village and stayed over in the guest room of the house he shared with his siblings. Considering Temari stayed in Konoha a lot of the times, he didn't mind having the bubbly Leaf kunoichi over. But now, it all made sense as to why she had come over so much.

After a couple more minutes of talking, Chouji and Shikamaru stood and said goodbye to her. She thanked them for coming and Chouji for the cake, who had then responded to her that he would keep buying them for her.

Kankuro stood as well, getting ready to leave. "My sister's married and my brother's going to be a dad." he said and laughed to himself.

Ino laughed with him. "Which are you thinking of doing first? Marriage or the baby?"

Kankuro shook his head. "Neither for now. By the way," he said, earning her full attention. "Gaara's been by your side almost all day yesterday. The council members are also aware of the news…"

"Let me guess," Ino said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "They are upset because I'm not some princess."

Kankuro laughed at her and shook her head. "Actually, they're happy. Their aim was practically to get Gaara to have a kid in order to continue the lineage in case something happened to him! All that needs to be completed is marriage."

There it was, marriage. A subject she didn't want to think about just yet, especially considering she didn't want to be pregnant for a whole year. Damn Tenten for reading weird pregnancy facts around her.

"We'll see about that marriage…" Ino said.

Kankuro nodded and left, mentioning how her brother would be seeing her soon. Ino wrapped the leftover cake back in its box and laid back down.

Now that she had the room all to herself, she lifted the hospital gown slightly and began to touch her small bump. Closing her eyes, Ino imagined herself brushing a little girl's hair. Just like in her dream, the girl would have strawberry-blond hair, a mixture of her hair and Gaara's. She would have his eyes though, as that's something that always intrigued Ino. It's what caught her attention.

Ino heard the door open and opened her eyes, quickly pulling her gown down. Gaara closed the door behind him and walked over to her without saying a word. The only noise that could be heard was his sandals against the wooden floor. He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb.

The silence was killing and she wanted to yell at him, but couldn't find her energy. Besides, she knew that yelling on top of her lungs right now wouldn't be good for her health. She didn't want this to be a difficult pregnancy. However, she couldn't deny the knot she was feeling in her chest and before she knew it, her hands flew to her face and she began to cry. Her emotions were getting the best of her to the point she didn't know what to tell him, even though there were a lot of things she wanted to tell him.

Ino felt the mattress beneath her sink a little as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her upper gently against his chest. Gaara rested his chin on top of her head and rubbed her arm soothingly.

Ino remembered the first time they had slept together and how tender he was with her. Although he was not talkative, he was a good listener. After sex, she would go on about random things and he would listen. Seeing his warm smile around Maaya made her think about the type of father he would be.

She finally managed to calm down and opened her eyes, watching how her tears soaked his shirt.

"It's the hormones." she said, pulling her head upwards but still not meeting his gaze.

His arms were still around her and she savored the feeling of his body being next to hers. The kiss he placed on the side of her forehead made her tremble in delight. Darn him. He was making it difficult for her to yell at him.

"How are you feeling?" he finally asked her.

"Better, but we have a lot to discuss about. I have a lot of questions for you." she said.

"I know," he said and she looked up at him.

"You and Kankuro already spoke?"

He nodded his head and Ino sighed. Well, at least she could get straight to the point.

"Why didn't you tell me about that princess and that your council members were trying to hook you up with her and possibly other women? And why did you take her out on a date!?"

Ino took a deep breath, feeling as a large weight has been taken off her chest. However, now she began to feel nervous as she impatiently waited for an answer.

"The council have been wanting me to start thinking about marriage for the last year, before Temari got married." he finally answered after what seemed an eternity to Ino. "I have declined all of their offers. They eventually became impatient and invited the princess Kankuro told you about. She was from an important country, and I couldn't risk having a war start. Even though I declined her, I was recommended to take her to dinner to ensure that there were no hard feelings between both villages."

"Looks like that didn't work." Ino commented and she heard Gaara sigh.

"The situation has been taken care of. You don't need to worry about it."

But Ino didn't want to leave the subject. She still wanted to know more about this princess.

"What did you guys talk about during your date?" She interrogated, crossing her arms.

"I...don't remember." Gaara admitted and Ino raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean that you don't remember? Were you not paying attention?"

"No…"

"Then what were you doing while she was talking?"

"Thinking about you."

Ino stared at him for a while with her mouth opened. The softness of his teal colored eyes made her face flush. Without much thought, she got on her knees and swung a leg over his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ino crushed her lips against his as his right arm pulled closer to him.

Her hands traveled to his messy red hair, massaging his scalp and eventually tracing her thumb against his tattoo. It's been a while since they had each other, and Ino knew that it was better to do it now while her bump wasn't that big.

Gaara lifted the bottom of her hospital gown and caressed her body before his hand eventually landed on her small bump. Ino pulled away and looked at him, watching as his eyes were closed while his hand laid still on her stomach. She brushed his red hair with her fingers.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him.

Finally opening his eyes, he looked up at her. "Both of your safeties." he said. "I can't protect you when we are in two different villages."

The marriage talk. She knew that, sooner or later, it would have to be discussed. Even with her parents and friends there, she knew that there was no way she could raise a child all by herself. She wondered if his enemies would start targeting her soon.

"I understand," she said, "But I'm not ready for marriage."

Although he didn't say anything, Ino felt his body tense. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned down and kissed his neck passionately. She lifted her head up and kissed his jaw before placing a light kiss on his lips.

"However," she continued while kissing the corner of his mouth, "I can't be raising this kid by myself, and you need to be a part of its life too. And I understand your duties as Kazekage are important. So I am willing to stay...on one condition though."

He looked up at her, raising his barely visible eyebrows as she cupped his face with her hands.

"What?" Gaara asked, and Ino tilted her head, giving him a flirtatious smile.

"I want you to take me on a date."

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Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Five months into the pregnancy**_

The meeting was going to last another two hours; he knew that for sure. The council members could never agree on anything and majority of the times, he had to step in and make a decision for them. His eyes traveled to the window, noticing how the sun was setting.

It was time…

"Kazekage-sama, where are you going?" one of the members asked once they all noticed that he was a few steps away from exiting the conference room.

"On a date…"

The men stared at his back as he left the room, mouths gaped open.

"How many dates is he taking that Yamanaka girl on?"

"I think it's sweet," an older female council member said, eyes closing. "She is carrying the future of our village. Our Kazekage is a fine young man. He's taking good care of her."

**_Eight months into the pregnancy_**

Ino pulled the gift out of its bag and stared at it with mixed reaction. She heard Kiba across from her and raised an eyebrow at him, turning the baby onesie towards his direction.

"Isn't it great?" he asked, Akamaru barking by his said.

"Kiba, it says _I had boobs for breakfast_."

"Mine's better!" Naruto exclaimed, handing the gift to Gaara.

Ino leaned on Gaara's shoulder as he pulled out a white baby onesie from the gift bag with black and pink letters. His eyes widened slightly and Ino gasped as they read the content. Embarrassed, the Kazekage put the gift back down and closed his eyes.

"Thanks for the gift, Naruto." he simply said, trying to keep his voice leveled.

"What does it say?" Lee exclaimed.

"Nothing you should know about." Ino replied, placing Naruto's gift away from them. She made a mental note to have Gaara burn that onesie down once the babyshower was over.

Sakura walked over to them and gave them a pink box. Gaara opened the box and Ino gasped in excitement as he pulled out a pair of sparkling pink baby shoes.

"Sakura! It's so cute! I can't wait to put it on her!" Ino said as she got up and walked over to her best friend, giving her a hug.

The gifts continued to pour in to the point where the corner of the living room was filled with opened presents for their upcoming baby girl. The parents-to-be took several pictures with their guests. Naruto had wanted to display his gift in the picture, but Gaara had recommended him not to.

Once they took their last picture, which happened to be with Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya, Ino sat back down tiredly.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, grabbing her hand and sitting next to her.

Ino nodded and looked at her large bump. "Yes, she's just getting heavier."

Gaara placed his hand on her bump, the corner of his lips raising as he felt his daughter's movements underneath his hand. He placed an arm around Ino's shoulder and pulled her towards him so her head laid on his chest right underneath his chin.

"She's more active when you're around." Ino said softly at him, watching his soft safe expression as he kept his hand still on her extended stomach.

With tearful eyes, Inoichi watched as the Kazekage had his daughter in a loving embrace while touching the side of her pregnant stomach. Wiping the tears away, he looked at his wife as she examined some of the gifts that were given for their granddaughter.

"You know, at first I was worried about her getting pregnant by the Kazekage, considering his violent past. But looking at him now, I can see now that he'll do everything in his power to keep our daughter and granddaughter safe."

Inoichi's wife nodded, smiling as she viewed a couple of the beautiful gifts. "So many onesies," the woman said, pulling a white one and reading it. Once she was done reading it, her eyes widened in horror.

Noticing her face expression, Inoichi grabbed the onesie and read it as well, his face turning bright red as he tried to block inappropriate images from entering his head.

"Who...Who gifted this?" he asked, bewildered.

"Says here that it's from Naruto Uzumaki."

"The one who insists on being the godfather?"

"Yes." Ino's mother replied, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Inoichi growled and placed the baby onesie back inside the bag, making sure that no one accidentally read the inappropriate words that read _**All Daddy Wanted Was A Blowjob**_.

_**Four months after birth…**_

"Kankuro, she's scared of you. Wash that stuff off your face." Temari said, grabbing the crying little girl from her brother's arms.

"Fine," he responded, marching over to the bathroom and washing his face paint off.

Shikamaru watched as Temari cradled the baby and began to hum softly, causing the infant with a head full of strawberry blond hair to calm down. She had a small baby towel draped over her right shoulder for when the infant needed cleaning up. He saw the motherly look she gave their goddaughter and guilt hit him hard, wondering when she would be able to do that with their own child.

Kankuro walked out of the bathroom, his face paint finally off, and extended his arms out towards Temari.

"My turn to hold my niece." he said, smirking as his sister rolled her eyes.

"Make sure you hold her head properly." Temari said, gently placing the girl in Kankuro's arms.

"I got this." he whispered back, afraid of causing the girl to cry again.

He walked around the living room, smiling as her bright blue eyes stared widely at him. "She's like a replica of Gaara." he said, turning around and facing his sister.

Temari nodded in agreement, watching the little girl move her small arms around. Inadvertently, she placed her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes, wondering when it would be her turn to have her own bundle of joy. She opened her eyes again as she heard small baby cries and saw Kankuro hand her the baby girl back.

"I think I'm good for now," he said, watching as Temari began to calm down the crying baby. "When are they supposed to be coming back again?"

"Tomorrow," Shikamaru replied, standing up from where he was sitting and standing next to his wife, looking down at the small girl. "They needed some alone time."

.

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Ino moaned in pleasure as Gaara wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her naked body against his, placing kisses on her shoulder. She had looked forward to this moment for months. Her labor hadn't been easy, and she had needed time to recover. Luckily, Gaara and her mother had been there by her side that painful morning and Sakura had delivered the baby. The last few months have been a game changer for her. She had underestimated the amount of work it took in raising a child, which lead to the spontaneous idea of them leaving their daughter with Temari and Shikamaru and going on a couple's retreat. And while she missed their daughter terribly, she enjoyed the last two days of wild sex.

"Do you think she's OK?" Ino finally asked, turning around and brushing his red hair to the side.

Gaara nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Temari is there, she will be OK."

Ino nodded, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him back down on the bed. Excitedly, she climbed on top of him and straddled his hips.

"I guess you're ready for round three…" she said, watching as he sat up and claimed her lips with his.

**_Thirteen months after birth…_**

Most parents would take turns staying up late in order to tend to their newborn. However, Ino was one of the lucky few who had a partner that barely slept at night, which allowed her to get plenty of rest at night.

Gaara sat in the living room, staring down at the little girl on his lap. He watched as she grabbed his index finger and giggled, revealing two small white teeth. Despite having his features and hair, she had Ino's smile and eyes.

"Da...da…"

Gaara's eyes widened as the girl laughed, wiggling in his lap.

"Say it again." he said with a smile, watching as she grabbed his shirt with her small fist and began to slide down from his lap, her strawberry blond hair getting in front of her face.

Gaara grabbed her and stood up from the couch, rubbing her back as he walked around the living room. He felt her lay her little head on his shoulder and knew that it was time for her to sleep. Placing a fatherly kiss on her head, he looked at the picture of his mother hanging on the wall, wondering if she was watching her granddaughter from up above.

_**Two years after birth….**_

"Hold still, Kaiya" Ino said, attempting to clip the little girl's bangs to the side of her head. Her hair was already past her small shoulders with long bangs covering her eyes.

Once Ino was able to fix her hair, Kaiya jumped with her hands up, the sand behind her twirling around. The leaf kunoichi stared in awe at her daughter, grabbing the young girl and placing a motherly kiss on her forehead.

"Can I go play now?" she asked innocently.

"Yes," Ino said, watching as the girl ran to the backyard of the house.

Sighing, Ino returned to the kitchen, finishing up dinner before Gaara arrived. Not too long ago, they had decided to have their own home in Suna with a large backyard for Kaiya to play in. Ino continued working at the hospital as a mentor for upcoming medical ninjas. She had become so familiar with the place that those around her wondered if she would end up running the entire place. Nonetheless, as she was not married to Gaara, she wasn't considered a Suna citizen and therefore couldn't take such an opportunity.

Turning down the heat on the stove, Ino thought about the last night they had spoken about marriage. They had agreed on waiting it out, but Kaiya was already two years old. They already lived like a family, acted like one. On weekday evenings, Gaara would come home and teach her how to better manipulate the sand with her chakra. On weekends, they would take her to picnics or visit Shikamaru and Temari whenever they would be in town. On other occasions, they would leave her with Kankuro as he would build her toys from scratch.

A soft kiss on her cheek broke her thoughts and she leaned back against him.

"You're finally home." Ino said, tilting her head, giving him better access to her neck. A moan escaped her lips as he suckled on a tender spot by her neck, his hands travelling underneath her shirt.

"I want you…" Ino whispered, grabbing his hand and placing it on her thigh.

"Tonight," Gaara whispered before stepping back and walking towards the backyard.

Ino whimpered , missing his warm touches. However, she knew they had to be careful around their daughter. They didn't want her running around telling villagers what they did behind closed doors…

"Kaiya."

The little girl turned around and smiled, running towards Gaara with her arms up. He picked her up with his arm supporting her from her bottom. He pulled one of her cheeks lightly, smiling as she pulled his in return.

"Look," Gaara said, grabbing a small black box from his pocket and opening it in front of her.

Kaiya's eyes widened and she looked at him. "Is it for mommy?" she whispered.

Gaara nodded. "I've been thinking about it since before you were born."

He walked back inside the house with Kaiya in one arm, his eyes on Ino as she set the table ready.

"Kaiya...Gaara...please don't drag that sand inside." Ino said, eyes focused on setting the utensils down.

Standing up straight, she noticed both of them giving her a smile. Raising an eyebrow, Ino noticed Gaara's extended hand...particularly, what was on his hand. The diamond flashed flashed before her eyes and Ino felt her face become warm.

"Ino…"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

"Y-Yes."

They leaned in but before meeting, Ino glanced at their daughter. "Eyes closed, young lady."

Kaiya nodded, slapping her small hands over her eyes.

With one arm carrying Kaiya, Gaara wrapped his second arm around Ino's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. After separating, they turned their focus on to the bubbly human being they created, smiling as Kaiya brought her hands down and gave them both a hug.

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Please review! This story is complete.


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